Trousers pressing machine



Feb. 16, 1954 A. B. JONES TROUSERS PRESSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 19492 Sheets-Sheet l ail MIA-.

Zinnentor Gltornegs A. B. JONES TROUSERS PRESSING MACHINE Feb. 16, 1954Filed Aug. 31, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3nventor attorneys Patented Feb.16, 1954 I TED STATES PATEN OFFICE TROUSERS PRESSING MACHINE Arthur B.Jones, Detroit, Mich.

Application August '31, 1949,, Serial No. $113,293

BOIaimS. 1

This invention relates to pressing machine and, in particular, totrousers pressing machines.

Hitherto, pressing machines have been cons'tr-ucted with the pressingmembers horizontal, with the result that such machines occupy a largeamount of door space, can only be used to press one leg of a pair oftrousers at a time, and require careful arrangement of the trousers toprevent wrinkles and undesired folds. Furthermore, such machines havebeen wasteful of heat due to the natural tendency of heat to rise, andhave also been wasteful of labor due to the necessity of pressing eachleg separately and of carefully arranging the trousers before closingthe machine to start pressing. In the use of prior pressing machineswhere the pressing members havebeen arranged vertically, the trousershave been held in an inverted position with the cuffs held above thepressing members or near the upper ends thereof and the waistband at thebottom thereof. Since there are two folds required on a large pair oftrousers and at least one fold on a small pair of trousers, the operatorof such prior machines always has had to stoop down to "make the foldsat their proper positions. Such alternate stooping and rising requiredfor pressing every pair of trousers is fatiguing to the operator andusually requires giving additional pay to the operator because of suchfatigue.

One object of this invention is to provide a trousers pressing machinein which the trousers are held upright with the waistband portionthereof supported above the pressing members and with the legs hangingdownward so that both sides-of both legs of the trousers are pressedsimultaneously, thereby eliminating a series of operations previouslynecessary where the trousers legs have been pressed in separateoperations and also eliminating the alternate stooping and rising inmaking the folds.

Another object is to provide a. trousers pressing machine of theforegoing character in which the trousers are held vertically whilethepressing operations are carried out, thereby reducing to a minimum thefloor space occupied by the machine, economizing on heat because of thenatural tendency of heat to rise, and eliminating wrinkles occurring inhorizontal types of machines.

Another object is to provide a "trousers pressing machine of theforegoing character in which the trousers are suspended from thewaistband above the machine, with the legs -of the trousers extendingdownward into the machine.

In the drawings:

Figure l is aside elevation of a trousers pressing machine according toone form of the invention, with one of the outer pressing members brokenaway to disclose the steam connections to the inner member;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the trousers pressing machine show-n inFigure 1';

Figure 3 is a front elevation, partly in vertical section, of thetrousers pressing machine shown in Figures 1 and 2;;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 4-4 inFigure 1;

Figure is a diagrammatic perspective view of a pair of "trousers for aperson of ordinary build, showing the manner of folding it prior toinserting it in-the machine; and

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the manner of folding a pair oftrousers for a stout person.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 to 3 inclusive show apressing machine, generally designated M, according to a preferred form:of the invention as .mounted'upon :a base II which is secured to thefloor of the room in which it is to be used. Bolted or otherwise securedto the rearward portion of the Phase 1 l is a free-standing verticalposter standard 12 which is hollow and terminates at its upper end in avertical bore l3 of square or rectangular cross-section and serves toreceive an elongated bar 14 of similar crosseseiotion adjustably held inposition by a thumb screw 15 threaded into a threaded transverse hoie51-1 in the upper end of the post l2. Extending substantiallyhorizontally forward from the bar M is a rod I-B carrying a pair ofclamps 1.8 for holding the waist band of the trousers T. The clamps Iare pivoted on the rod :18 and include a pair of opposed members 20having jaws 211 on the lower side of the rod [I8 and handles .2! on theupper side thereof, a spring 213 iorcing :the handles 22 apart so as toclose the jaws 2.1 unonthetrousersl.

Bolted orotherwisesecuned to the forward portion of the base H is asubstantially vertical pedesta -1124 upon which is mounted arice-standins elongated hollow inner or central pressing member,generally designated 25. The pressing member 25 fleeing free-standing,is thus supported wholly icy the base SI I without lateral braces, andconsists of 'a vertically elongated hollow body 26 of metal or othersuitable heat-conducting material, of approximately mectaneularcross-sec tion and havin a steam chamber 2.1 Figure of) with steamrenter in theside walls thereof; Secured to the opposite sides of thepressing member 25 are pads 29 of porous mate rial, such as textilematerial, surrounded by an envelope or retaining sleeve 39 likewisepreferably of porous material, such as textile material. By reason ofthe free-standing construction of the inner pressing member 25, it willbe evident from Figures 1 and 3 that the envelope 39 can be and is drawndownwardly thereover, like pulling a sock on ones foot, since there areno braces, supporting arms or other projections to interfere. The body26 of the inner pressing member 29 is preferably tapered near its upperend 3| and its length is preferably sumcient to accommodate the legs ofthe longest pair of trousers ordinarily encountered. The chamber 21 nearthe upper end 3| is closed by the top end portion 32 (Figure 3) and overthis-is mounted an end pad 33. The envelope 39*is closed at its upperend like a stocking or bag and fits snugly down over the pads 29 andhollow body 25.

Steam is admitted to the central or inner pressing member 25 throughports 34 and 35 in vertically spaced inlet and exhaust bosses 39 and 31(Figures 1 and 3) in the rearward edge wall of the body 26. Rising fromthe base II and bolted or otherwise secured thereto is a bracket 38 uponwhich are mounted steam intake and exhaust valves 39. and 49 located oneabove the other and having intake and exhaust pipes 4| and. 42 connectedthereto. The valves 39 and 49 are operated by valve levers or arms 43and 44 interconnected by a link 45, oneof the valves, such as the valve49, having an additional arm or lever 46 connected to the rotary valvemember thereof (not shown) and having an operating rod 41 pivotedthereto at its rearward end, and extending forwardly to, a pivotalconnection with a bell cranklever' 48. pivotally mounted as at 49 on avertical bracket 59 which rises from and is bolted or otherwise securedto the base I I at the forward end thereof. The upper arm' of the bellcrank lever 49 terminates in a pedal A pin 52 connected to the link 45carries the upper end of a tension spring 53, the lower end of which isconnected to an arm 54 which is bolted or otherwise secured to therearward end of the base II. The spring 53 thus constantly urges thelink 45 and the valve levers .43 and 44 downward to normally close thesteam. inlet valve 39 and normally open the steam outlet or exhaustvalve 49. When the operator stepson the pedal 5|, however, the valvelevers 43 and 44 are swung upwardly to open the steam inlet valve 39 andclose the exhaust valve 49. Steam inlet and exhaust pipes 55 and 56 runfrom the steam inlet and exhaust ports34 and 35 to the valves 39 and 49respectively. Inorder to carry away condensate from the inner or centralpressing member 25, the hollow body 26 at its lower end is provided witha drain port 5! in a boss 58, from which'a drain pipe 59 .leads' to asuitable receiver or condensatepump;

Extending outwardly frornthe upper and lower portions of the standard I2are upper and lower ears 99 and BI extending outward laterally inopposite directions (Figures 2 and 4). Pivotally mounted in the ears 69and BI are upper and lower pivot pins 62 and 93 connected to verticalmembers 64 forming the uprights of a pair of U-shaped brackets 65mounted on opposite sides of the standard I2 and having upper and lowerarm portions 66 and 91 (Figure 1) secured .as at 69 and 59 to swingingouter pressing members, generally designated- 19,--arranged on oppositesidesof the inner-or central pressing member 25. I

The outer pressing members 19 consist of elongated hollow bodies IIlikewise preferably of elongated rectangular cross-section and havingsteam vents T2 in their inner walls (Figure 4). The outer pressingmembers I9 are likewise provided with pads I3 preferably of poroustextile material and this in turn is similarly covered by an envelope orcover I4 resembling the envelope 39 for the central pressing member 25.In actual practice, insulation is preferably applied to the outer wallsof the outer members I9,but this is omitted to simplify the showing. Theouter walls of the bodies II are provided with upper and lower bosses l5and I6 containing steam intake and exhaust ports I! and 18 (Figure 3) towhich are connected steam intake and exhaust pipes I9 and 89 havingflexible portions BI and 82 respectively permitting the pressing membersI9 to be swung outward and inward without interrupting the steamconnections. Thelower ends of the bodies II are provided with partitions93 with drain holes 34 opening into sumps 85, and drain ports 86 inbosses 3'? are provided at the lower ends of the sumps and have drainpipes 88 and flexible portions 89 connected thereto for carrying awaythe condensate.

Extending rearwardly from the standard I2 (Figure 1) is an arm' 99 tothe rearward end of which a vertical bracket 9| is bolted or otherwisesuitably secured. Mounted on'the upper and lower ends of the bracket 9|are steam in: take and exhaust valves 92 and 93 respectively connectedto steam intake and exhaust pipes 94 and 95. The valves 92 and 93 areoperated v by valve levers 99 and 91 pivotally interconnected by a link98 which is constantly urged in an upward direction by a coil spring 99attached at its lower end to a pin I99 on the link 99 and at its upperend to a pin |9| mounted on the bracket 9|. In a manner similar to thespring 53 of the valves 39 and 49, the spring 99 constantly urges thevalve levers 96 and 91 into a normallyclosed position for the steamintake valve 92 and a normally open position for the steamexhaust oroutlet valve 93. An additional lever or arm I92 is connected to thevalve lever 91 and in turn is pivotally connected to an operating rodI93, the forward end of which is pivotally connected to one arm of abell crank lever I94 which is pivoted at I95 to the upper end of abracket I96, the lower end of which is bolted or otherwise suitablysecured to the base The other arm of the bell crank lever I94 terminatesat its outer end in a pedal I91.

In order to open and close the outer pressing members I9 by swingingthem outward and inward around the pivot pins 92 and 93, a togglelinkage is provided wherein the lower arms 9'! of the -U-shaped brackets65. are extended'as at I98 (Figure 4) beyond their pivots 93 andcarrypivot pins I99 to which are pivotally connected the forward ends oflinks II9, the rearward ends of which are connected as at III to thecross bar of a T-member N2, the other bar of which carries the pivot pinI I3. Connected to the pivot pin 3 is a link II4, the opposite end ofwhich is pivoted to a pivot pin I I5 carried by the upper 5 in theiropen position shown in Figure 4,. a tension spring ['20 is connected atits lower end to a pin 12! on the bent lever H8 and at its upper end toa pin i122 extending outward from one of the ears 9|.

Operation In the operation of the invention, let it be assumed that theinlet pipes li and s4 have been connected to a source of steam underpressure, and that the steam exhaust pipes 42 and 95 have been similarlyconnected to a steam outlet or receiver, also that suitable connectionshave been made to the condensate drain lines 59 and 89 to carry away thecondensate. Let it also be assumed that the machine is in its openposition (Figure 4) with the spring I21} holding it in this position. Topress a pair of trousers T, the operator first grasps the waistband Wand forms a fold F in the forward side thereof (Figure 5) if thetrousers are for a person of ordinary girth. For a stout person, theoperator folds the trousers T with an additional fold G at the rearwardend of the waistband W (Figure 6). The folds F and G are not pressedinto the trousers by the machine since they are outside the pressingmembers 25 and 19. With the trousers T thus folded, the operator mountsthe waistband W thereof in the clamps it with one clamp at the forwardend and the other at the rearward end (Figure 1). While he is moving thewaistband into the clamping position, he preferably at the same timeinserts the trousers legs L on opposite sides of the central or innerpressing member 25 in the spaces between it and the now open outerpressing members It.

The operator then steps on the pedal H9 and thereby swings the outerpressings members 19 into engagement with the trousers legs and forcesthem against the central or inner pressing member 25. The bent lever II8 is preferably provided with a conventional locking pawl (not shown)so that the operator may step off the pedal i is while leaving themachine in its closed position.

The operator then steps on the pedals 5i and l 01 to the extentnecessary to apply steam to the inner and outer pressing members 25 and10. This steam escapes through the vents 28 and 12 from the interior ofthe hollow bodies 26 and H and penetrates the pores of the pads 29 and13 and covers or sleeves 3|] and 14, entering the interstices betweenthe threads of the trouser legs, thereby moistening the material. Thecombination of heat and pressure in this manner simultaneously pressesboth sides and the forward and rearward creases of both trouser legs Lin a single operation. When pressing has been completed, the operatorreleases the pedals 5|, I01 and H9 permitting the steam to exhaust fromthe pressing members 25 and i0 and at the same time swinging the latteropen into the position shown in Figure 4.

What I claim is:

1. A trousers pressing machine for simultaneously pressing both legs ofa pair of trousers in their right-side-up position, said machinecomprising a supporting structure, a vertically-elongated hollow innerpressing member mounted vertically on said structure, a pair ofverticallyelongated hollow outer pressing members movably vertically onsaid structure on opposite sides 70 of said inner pressing member, meansconnected to said outer pressing members for moving said outer pressingmembers into and out of close proximity to said inner pressing member,means for supplying heat to said pressing members, and a trouserssupport connected to said supporting structure and overhanging saidinner pressing member, said trousers support having thereon trouserswaistband grippers releasably engageable with the waistband portions ofthe verticallyfolded and vertically-hanging trousers near the forwardand rearward edges of the trousers on opposite sides thereof whereby topress the legs of said trousers in the right-side-up position of saidtrousers.

2. A trousers pressing machine for simultaneously pressing both legs ofa pair of trousers in their right-side-up position, said machinecomprising a supporting structure, a vertically-elongated hollow innerpressing member mounted vertically on said structure, a pair ofverticallyelongated hollow outer pressing members movably mountedvertically on said structure on opposite sides of said inner pressingmember, means connected to said outer pressing members for moving saidouter pressing members into and out of close proximity to said innerpressing member, means for supplying heat to said pressing member, and atrousers support connected to said supporting structure and overhangingsaid inner pressing member, said trousers support having thereontrousers waistband grippers releasably engageable with the waistbandportions of the vertically-folded and vertically-hanging trousers nearthe forward and rearward edges of the trousers on opposite sidesthereof, said trousers waistband grippers comprising horizontally-spacedwaistband clamps depending from said trousers support above the forwardand rearward portions of said inner pressing member whereby to press thelegs of said trousers in the right-side-up position of said trousers.

3. A trousers pressing machine for simultaneously pressing both legs ofa pair of trousers in their right-side-up position, said machinecomprising a supporting structure, a vertically-elongated hollow innerpressing member mounted vertically on said structure, a pair ofverticallyelongated hollow outer pressing members movably mountedvertically on said structure on opposite sides of said inner pressingmember, means connected to said outer pressing members for moving saidouter pressing members into and out of close proximity to said innerpressing member, means for supplying heat to said pressing members, anda trousers support connected to said supporting structure andoverhanging said inner pressing member, said trouser support havingthereon trousers waistband grippers releasably engageable with thewaistband portions of the vertically-folded and vertically-hangingtrousers near the forward and rearward edges of the trousers on oppositesides thereof, said pressing members being Wider at their upper endsthan at their lower ends and having their forward and rearward edgestapering from their upper ends downwardly toward their narrower lowerends whereby to press the legs of said trousers in the right-side-upposition of said trousers.

ARTHUR B. JONES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PA'I'ENI'SNumber Name Date 2,065,235 Matthews Dec. 22, 1936 2,486,486 Lauzon Nov.1, 1949 2,529,899 Bayler Nov. 14, 1950

